The biggest detriment to people getting into it is that people really do not understand it. To me, it is like radio internet if I may. You can communicate world wide and better at night.
I would love to learn more about HAM radio and even get a license. Its not like I have a lot to do:)

Don, Vegas

Linnea wrote:
*note: Wow! Seems there are about 50,000 less licensed ham operators than there were in 2003 when I got my General License!

This is getting to be tragic, as with membership dipping as low as this, amateur radio is in peril. There are so many reasons we should support amateur radio - not the least of which is to support the people's access to the airwaves.

Amateur radio needs to keep its membership up in order to preserve the ham radio frequencies from encroachment by corporations and commercial interests. We need numbers to be able to lobby congress to keep amateur radio alive here and around the world.

The technician license is not that difficult to obtain. Purchase a book, read and study a bit, do the practice tests in the book (all the answers to the questions are in the book) - and find out where there is a place in your local area to go take the 30 minute test. The license fee is only about and good for 10 years. You do not need to learn morse code! That requirement was dropped for the Technician and General Class licenses.

If you flunk the test - you can retake it. The electronics you need to study are not difficult. Just general principles.

If you want to get on the air, you can do it with a Tech License! For the price of a handheld radio (about the cost of a TiVo) you have a complete amateur radio station for the local repeater bands. As long as you keep the batteries charged - you will always have contact with the outside world in any emergency - unlike land line and cell phones.

Even if you do not intend to get on the air yourself, or buy any equipment - you can still join the ranks and support ham radio!

Remember the SETI Teams? Maybe we could launch an amateur radio licensing drive and encourage each other here on the forum.

We used to have active participation in the ham radio threads, and several of us encouraged each other and got our ham licenses.

Get involved. Get other family members involved, especially the kids. I think you only have to be 12 years old to get a license. Maybe there is no age limit. We can check that out.

It's a worthwhile cause, a great hobby, and something 'we the people' can do to be self-sufficient and prepared. We can do it for Art Bell because ham radio is one of his great passions.

Diogenes wrote:
I can remember adults I knew as a child who had Ham radios and I was fascinated with the equipment.

Ham Radio is so very interesting! There is no way that messages can get out of a country during civil strife or natural disaster. The internet is disrupted or cut off by various sources. All you need for Ham radio is the knowledge to use the equipment and electricity. No joke on this next statement.... Your source of electricity might be a kid on a bike peddling!
Again, the internet is disruptable and done so quickly by countries. However, radio equipment is portable and functions on its own. I have seen in Columbia, seen a guy that wants to get a message (CQ/CQ/CQ/DX) in morse code to make it through the squeaks and static of the moment. The message got thru to his parents that had the sense to set up an "authentication password".
There was no internet available as all communication was down due to a civil war in the south of Columbia. And by use of a civic minded ham radio operator, a password, and he was able to communicate with his family on the other side of the world!

I am very pro ham radio! Its fun, exciting and useful! Info in Iran and Syria is getting out on HAM radio! Even tho the gov't cut the nternet at times, it still gets out! Great stuff!

vegasexcitement wrote:
Ham Radio is so very interesting! There is no way that messages can get out of a country during civil strife or natural disaster. The internet is disrupted or cut off by various sources. All you need for Ham radio is the knowledge to use the equipment and electricity. No joke on this next statement.... Your source of electricity might be a kid on a bike peddling!
Again, the internet is disruptable and done so quickly by countries. However, radio equipment is portable and functions on its own. I have seen in Columbia, seen a guy that wants to get a message (CQ/CQ/CQ/DX) in morse code to make it through the squeaks and static of the moment. The message got thru to his parents that had the sense to set up an "authentication password".
There was no internet available as all communication was down due to a civil war in the south of Columbia. And by use of a civic minded ham radio operator, a password, and he was able to communicate with his family on the other side of the world!

I am very pro ham radio! Its fun, exciting and useful! Info in Iran and Syria is getting out on HAM radio! Even tho the gov't cut the nternet at times, it still gets out! Great stuff!

Don, Las Vegas

damn right. I am going to go for my ham license this new year. I have meant to forever, but now is the time. Thanks for the pep-talk Don!

Fan wrote:
damn right. I am going to go for my ham license this new year. I have meant to forever, but now is the time. Thanks for the pep-talk Don!

I've been hedging the past few years myself. I've bought the books and studied but have never taken the tests. Some of this has to do with a lack of availability of equipment to purchase up here in the northeast. Seems the closest stores are in New York....

depending on the had held. i have a icon ic-p7a and hitting repeaters, i can talk to oregon. frist remember antenna, antenna, antenna then it location, location, location. then its the higher the better within the limits of the rules.

Due to current economic conditions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

turtle101 wrote:
depending on the had held. i have a icon ic-p7a and hitting repeaters, i can talk to oregon. frist remember antenna, antenna, antenna then it location, location, location. then its the higher the better within the limits of the rules.

I had that feeling. I dug out my ARRL Tech book last night and started reading again after checking out the local ham club which owns and operates a couple of repeaters locally. I got sidetracked last year after having a second abdominal surgery that set me back, and I'm at the point where I'm actually starting to feel relatively normal again, and can look forward - if that makes any sense....

So.....ANOTHER stupid question - if you're using a handheld, doesn't it come with an antenna anyway?????

I have 3 ham radios. all icons and unidens. the ic-p7a came with a small antenna so I bought a longer one not much range on the smaller antenna.

I also have 3 scanners, 4 CB's all have big antennas. My last one before I got sick is a trunktracker 3 by uniden bct15x scanner. I bought it becuase the police here went with another system that cost them 5.000.000.00. that didnt work. so now their back to regular frequencies. And I have this gaint scanner which picks up Needles police 300 miles away. And its on a small 12 inch magnet mount setting on top of the frig....Imagine what it would do with a big out doors antenna. maybe I'll work on that this week.
Any who back to Hams.

In Quartzsite I have Linnea's ham radio which I love on a J pole antenna which I made. Works great for me. but I do need to get a better antenna this year.

Due to current economic conditions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.

turtle101 wrote:
I have 3 ham radios. all icons and unidens. the ic-p7a came with a small antenna so I bought a longer one not much range on the smaller antenna.

I also have 3 scanners, 4 CB's all have big antennas. My last one before I got sick is a trunktracker 3 by uniden bct15x scanner. I bought it becuase the police here went with another system that cost them 5.000.000.00. that didnt work. so now their back to regular frequencies. And I have this gaint scanner which picks up Needles police 300 miles away. And its on a small 12 inch magnet mount setting on top of the frig....Imagine what it would do with a big out doors antenna. maybe I'll work on that this week.
Any who back to Hams.

In Quartzsite I have Linnea's ham radio which I love on a J pole antenna which I made. Works great for me. but I do need to get a better antenna this year.

Geez......... So, what kind of antenna set-up do you have for your handheld? I have an older small Radio Shack scanner that works fine. Some of the police depts went to higher frequencies a few years back, but I'm still able to pull-in quite a bit. Comes in handy with storms and if there are bridge/ street closures. I used to listen-in when I was still taking call at the hospital - it was kinda nice to know ahead of time what you were going to be called-in for. I was hoping for a while to get some time in on the milcom channels because we have so much military traffic up here, but they're outta my range. I just need a new scanner, period.

on the small icom-p7a i have a 7inch steel whip. on the IC-T2H HH i have a two foot telesope. I use the IC-t2h more as a scanner. reason the BCT is sssooo hard to program. for the frist month i had it i just stared at it. 6 frequencies programed in it after a year,,,,,:coolhat:

Due to current economic conditions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.